Despite decades of research by major companies in the field of absorptive and cushioning products, a basic difficulty often remains, that either the final product is objectionably bulky prior to use, or in use, it does not have the level of performance desired.
The disadvantage of large bulk may be encountered at any stage in manufacture, distribution or use. For instance, products may occupy too much space on the shelves of retail stores, in storage cabinets at home, or when carried by or worn by the user. Efforts to overcome these disadvantages oftentimes result in compromise of performance or increase of cost.